'Tis the season for soups, stews to shine

A pair of recently released cookbooks, “Soup’s On!” by Valerie Phillips and “Lion House Soups and Stews” compiled by Brenda Hopkin and David Bench, include recipes for soups, stews, chowders, bisques, chowders, chili and gumb

1 sprig cilantro

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 (14 ½-16 ounce) cans hominy

Red sauce (see below)

1 tablespoon Cholula hot sauce, optional

Shredded cabbage, for garnish

Chopped onion, optional, for garnish

Lime or lemon wedges, optional, for garnish

Tostadas, for garnish

RED SAUCE:

10 chiles guerillas (dried chiles)

½ cup water

¼ onion

4 cloves garlic

For the pozole: Place pork in a large soup pot and cover with water. Add salt, onion, oregano, cilantro, and garlic and bring to a boil. As it boils, skim top layer of foam off surface of soup. Cook over medium heat until pork is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Do not cover with a lid while cooking. Add hominy, Red Sauce, and Cholula hot sauce, if desired, and cook another 15 minutes.

For the red sauce: Boil chiles in water for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree with onion and garlic. Add to the Pozole.

Garnish with shredded cabbage, chopped onion, a wedge of lemon or lime, and tostadas.

Thanks to O'Brien-style frozen hash browns, you can avoid peeling or dicing potatoes, onions and peppers. Packaged bacon bits eliminate the messy job of bacon-frying, and they contain 50 percent less fat than regular bacon. Using fat-free half-and-half further slashes the fat and calories without losing flavor. You could also use skim milk, but your soup will be less thick and creamy. The rosemary gives a subtle pine-ish flavor.

Christine Rappleye is an editor and reporter for the Deseret News, where she works on the features sections, including the Food/Health section and book reviews, and Mormon Times. She previously worked for the Beaumont more ..